The present invention relates to a process for encapsulating an optical component for the interconnection of optical fibers, and to an encapsulated component obtained by the application of this process. More particularly, but not exclusively, the invention concerns a process for encapsulating an integrated optical component.
The optical components for interconnecting optical fibers, such as couplers or multiplexers, both singlemode and multimode, include small, fragile, glass pieces. This is particularly true of integrated optical components such as the one described in Dannoux et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,943,130, which is directed to very small components. To protect these components, whether integrated or not, several means have been proposed which assure mechanical protection of the component and/or protection against injuries of a chemical, optic, thermal or any other sort which may be present in the environment in which these components are used.
European Patent No. 106,116 is directed to a protective arrangement for an optical fiber coupler. The arrangement includes a support element in the form of a V-shaped trough in sections to which the coupler is attached at adhesive points It also includes a tubular screen surrounding the support element, and joints which establish airtight closing of the extremities of the tubular screen. Protection can be further reinforced by the installation of this arrangement in a housing loaded with an additional filling material. This patent also describes an additional support element which is placed between the coupler itself and the first support element.
The result is a rather complex structure which requires the assembly of a number of pieces. The space enclosed by the structure is much greater than the dimensions of the protected coupler.
There is further described in this European patent a process for manufacturing this structure which consists of placing the coupler in the open channel of the V-shaped trough support element, attaching it with an adhesive to the support element in said open channel, surrounding the support element with a tubular screen made of a retractable material, retracting the screen around the support element in order to form a sub-assembly, inserting the sub-assembly within the vacant space in a receiving channel within a housing, sealing the open ends of the tubular screen around the coupler with the aid of joints whose dimensions define a receiving space between the screen and the housing, filling the receiving space with a material capable of hardening with the sub-assembly immersed therein, and causing the material which is capable of hardening to do so.
This manufacturing process contains a great number of stages which render it rather expensive. In particular, one stage of this procedure consists of sliding the tubular screen on the support element, an operation which requires a previous threading of the screen on one or more of the interconnected fibers, followed by a floating of the screen on the support element, operations which are very inconvenient.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an encapsulation process for an optical component, and an optical component obtained by this process which do not present the difficulties cited above.
In particular, one object of the invention is an encapsulation process for interconnected optical fibers which is simple, rapid and therefore relatively inexpensive.
Another object of the invention is the location of a protective structure upon the component without a prior threading of the protective structure on one or more optical fibers, even though the protective structure is already connected to the fibers which it interconnects.
Yet another object of the present invention is an encapsulated component for optical interconnection with significantly reduced enclosed space, scarcely greater than that of the bare component.
A further object of the present invention is an encapsulated component which can be handled without risk of deterioration, the component being well protected against various mechanical, chemical or other incursions and, in particular, against humidity.
Another object of the present invention is the encapsulation of a component manufactured by integrated optics technology.